Suddenly pinned to the bed, Zhu Qingyu didn't panic much. She figured Vice Minister Gu was mostly just sleep-addled. His actions meant he either mistook her for an assassin or someone from his own household.
Since Vice Minister Gu was awake, as long as they let go of each other and tacitly said nothing, treating it as if it never happened, this minor accident would just pass.
As it turned out, there was absolutely no tacit understanding between her and Vice Minister Gu.
Gu Zhao was indeed awake, but the way he looked at her was dreamy and surreal. Not only did he not let her go, but as if afraid she would run away, he pressed down harder, holding her tighter and closer. He even had the audacity to shift the blame, asking in a hoarse voice almost right against her ear:
"What are you doing?"
Zhu Qingyu's wrists ached from his grip, and she could barely breathe with his hand covering her mouth. She turned her head to dodge his hand and tried to get up. As she struggled vigorously, their bodies brushed against each other through their thin summer clothes, and their breaths tangled together.
Even with such simple contact, the atmosphere grew scorching. Vice Minister Gu was even hotter, burning up, hot beyond his own control.
Obviously, this was reality, not a dream.
In his dreams, she was always completely obedient, never dodging or struggling like this, and never refusing him.
But even the sound of her panting breaths amidst her dodging and struggling was far more vivid and sweet than every second of the dreams he had day and night.
Having tasted even a moment of this vibrant reality, the enduring, enchanting illusions he had lingered on in his dreams suddenly became dull and tasteless.
He couldn't just stop at a brief taste; he wanted more.
However, given the current situation, if he didn't handle it properly, he feared she would flee again, making it hard to ever get close to her.
Don't think he didn't know she had been avoiding him. He hadn't even done anything before, yet she was so guarded against him that she wouldn't even dare drink a cup of tea from him. This young woman was truly being unreasonably vigilant.
Gu Zhao finally released the hand covering her face and propped it beside the pillow. He didn't get up, though, still caging her beneath him as he questioned her again:
"What were you doing just now?"
Zhu Qingyu couldn't understand how Vice Minister Gu dared to ask this question with such a serious expression and such a self-righteous tone.
Shouldn't she be the one asking him that?
Did he think she was stupid?
She was a doctor with comprehensive medical knowledge, and in his eyes, a married woman who knew well the affairs between men and women. Did he really think she was so naive that she couldn't feel or notice his current physical state?
Of course, as a professional doctor who had systematically studied anatomy, she also understood that this was a natural reaction to external stimulation. Such situations were very common and didn't mean he did it on purpose, nor did it mean he actually had feelings for her.
But for him to actually play the victim first—that was just too much!
Zhu Qingyu asked in return:
"Shouldn't I be the one asking? Vice Minister Gu, what are you doing?"
Gu Zhao looked completely serious:
"Someone attempted an assassination. To protect myself, I subdued her. Miss, were you trying to assassinate me just now?"
Zhu Qingyu was truly about to die of anger from his baseless nonsense:
"No good deed goes unpunished! I was afraid you were cold and wanted to cover you with a blanket! You're a tall, grown man, and I'm a weak, unarmed woman. Me, assassinate you? Vice Minister Gu, don't you feel guilty saying such things?"
Gu Zhao actually smiled:
"Doctor Zhu is well-versed in medicine; why would you need iron to kill someone? Since I came to Yangzhou, I've encountered no fewer than seven or eight assassination attempts. You suddenly approached me while I was fast asleep; shouldn't I be a bit vigilant? However, to think Doctor Zhu actually cares about me. Since you say so, I shall believe it. Thank you."
Zhu Qingyu, unable to bear it any longer, almost shouted:
"No need to thank me! Since you believe me, can you get up!"
Gu Zhao didn't want to get up at all. He even felt that her scolding was just coquettish, making his heart flutter even more.
However, it was time to quit while he was ahead. If he kept pestering her, it would make him look like he harbored wicked intentions. Gu Zhao restrained himself, stood up, and picked up the thin blanket that had fallen to the floor.
Zhu Qingyu also got up. During her struggle just now, her wooden hairpin had fallen by the pillow, and her hair was completely undone. So, she went to the dressing table, found a wooden comb, and began to put her hair back up.
Gu Zhao folded the blanket and placed it at the foot of the bed. Turning his head, he saw Zhu Qingyu sitting at the dressing table doing her hair. He suddenly felt a bit dazed, feeling as though this scene was just like an ordinary married couple—after some morning intimacy, casually bickering, tidying the bed, and dressing up for the day.
He was merely coveting her youthful beauty; why was he having such bizarre thoughts about the word "couple"?
Simply put, he was truly becoming more and more obsessed.
Zhu Qingyu finished pinning her hair and turned to see Gu Zhao standing by the bed, looking at her with a strange expression.
What was going on? He couldn't still actually suspect she was an assassin, could he?
Zhu Qingyu frowned:
"Why is Vice Minister Gu looking at me like that? Do you still not believe me? Are you going to interrogate me again?"
Gu Zhao had been investigating a smuggling case involving illicit salt lately. He had caught and interrogated many people. The interrogation room at the government office was not a pleasant place.
Those who dared to follow Lei Dawu in armed salt smuggling were all desperadoes. Before becoming bandits, most of them had committed numerous major crimes like rape, murder, and arson. Therefore, when prisoners were brought in, they were generally stripped of their clothes first, and then various bloody methods were used to force them to confess every single one of their crimes.
Naturally, Gu Zhao couldn't bear to use such bloody methods on her. But when she mentioned interrogation, the thought of using "other" methods to interrogate her made his blood boil again, making it hard for him to control himself.
If he stayed in her bedroom in such an ambiguous atmosphere any longer, Gu Zhao couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't actually lose his mind and thoroughly interrogate her from the inside out.
He wanted her trust, not her fear.
He didn't want to be a saint, but he especially didn't want to be a hideous villain in front of her.
Gu Zhao lifted his foot and left, heading toward the outer room, leaving behind only one sentence:
"Doctor Zhu, come out. Let's talk about official business."
She had come to talk to him about official business in the first place!
Zhu Qingyu, with her hair up, went to the outer study and told Gu Zhao about the second manager:
"After all, he's been a manager in our family for decades, and I don't want to wrongly accuse him. But he encouraged my family to borrow silver from the government, and he quietly settled the trouble of thirty thousand taels of silver. For the past six months, he has also been very friendly with Master Liu's advisor. I feel that something is definitely wrong, so I'd like to ask you to help investigate it."
Investigating cases was the government's job. Gu Zhao was already interrogating Lord Liu's lackeys and looking into their involvement with Lei Dawu.
He had only come to see her as an excuse to have more opportunities to meet, while also making people like Lord Liu lower their guard. He hadn't expected her to actually find any clues in just one day.
He didn't expect that in just a short day, she would actually figure out so many details.
This sharpness and clarity made Gu Zhao involuntarily put on a serious face as he said:
"Since Doctor Zhu has entrusted me with this, I will investigate the matter."
Having finished discussing business, Zhu Qingyu didn't linger for even half a sentence more, saying:
"Thank you, sir. Then I won't delay you from your official duties any further."
After leaving the medical clinic, Gu Zhao asked Xiong Kun:
"Did you tell her that I rushed back from Jinling overnight?"
Xiong Kun nodded:
"I told her everything exactly as you instructed, My Lord."
Xiong Kun had made it abundantly clear. Given the hour, it was already mealtime, and anyone with a modicum of sense would have guessed that he had not eaten yet. But that young woman was so utterly oblivious. She had not offered a single word to ask him to stay for a meal, not even out of mere politeness. She had simply sent him packing with nothing but a cup of tea.
Gu Zhao swung onto his horse and cracked his whip, galloping away. Yet, even the rushing wind of his swift ride could not blow away the stifling frustration bubbling up inside him.
She was clearly such a sharp and intelligent woman, yet she refused to spare even the slightest bit of thought on him!
How truly, utterly exasperating!
